Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast is the newest title from Stern Pinball! Below is an in-depth Overview of the machine, and Five Likes and Five Dislikes on the Pro version, based on the information Stern has released and the stream of the machine from Dead Flip.  Watch the full stream here!

OVERVIEW OF STERN IRON MAIDEN (PRO)

Price

• Pro
• MSRP: $5,999
• Street Price: ~ $5,500-$5,600
• Premium (for reference)
• MSRP: $7,599
• Street Price: ~ $7,300
• Limited Edition (for reference)
• MSRP: $8,999
• Street Price: ~ $8,800

Who’s Who

• Design: Keith Elwin
• Rules: Keith Elwin
• Artwork: Jeremy Packer (AKA Zombie Yeti)
• Sound: Jerry Thompson

Features

• 12 Iron Maiden songs
• Aces High
• 2 Minutes to Midnight
• The Trooper
• Wasted Years
• Can I Play With Madness
• Number of the Beast
• Run to the Hills
• Powerslave
• Hallowed Be Thy Name
• Flight of Icarus
• Rime of the Ancient Mariner
• Fear of the Dark
• Four flippers
• Two spinners
• 3 bank of drop targets
• Metal and wireworm ramps
• Captive ball
• Center bullseye target

RULES AND CODE

You have entered a MULTIPLIER FREE ZONE.

Well…-ish.  We’ll probably slip a few times and use the word “multiplier”.  But in general, we’re to go through the main rules in the game and discuss how to progress through the game ignoring multipliers.  Nothing wrong with multipliers, they’re great, but they’ve been covered extensively elsewhere – if you want explanations of the multipliers – check out this in-development rulesheet on Tilt Forums. For a great explanation of all rules, check out this back stage pass from Stern!

Overview

• Your song selection has no effect on gameplay
• Two skill shots
• Loop Feature – use the upper flippers to shoot loops and score a Loop Jackpot
• Four Main Sections to collect Eddie Cards
• Power Features (Cyborg Eddie Card)
• Mummy Multiball (Mummy Eddie Card)
• Trooper Multiball (Trooper Eddie Card)
• Battle Modes (Soldier Eddie Card)
• Collect the four Eddie Cards to get to Number of the Beast Wizard Mode

To hear Keith Elwin explain the rules in-depth in, click here! (Full rules tutorial about 25 minutes)

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Skill Shots

The skill shot is to plunge the ball into the lit target:

The super skill shot is to plunge the ball around the upper loop just enough so that it feeds back down to the upper left flipper, then hit the lit shot:

Loop Rules and Loop Jackpots

Taken from this post by Keith Elwin on Tilt Forums:

LOOP FEATURE- Use upper flippers to shoot loops to build up and light LOOP JACKPOT

• Loop awards are displayed in the big loop
• Values range from 250k to 2.5mil
• Shooting consecutive loops will build up the loop value
• Each loop scores the lit value plus adds that value to the LOOP JACKPOT value
• Shots to the mini loop lights the 2x loop insert (hey we didn’t say multiplier!)
• When the required number of loops is reached the LOOP JACKPOT lamps will come on solid

LOOP JACKPOT

• LOOP JACKPOT lamp lights up solid until the first LOOP JACKPOT is collected
• Once collected a 12 second timer will begin
• Each consecutive loop shot during this period will score 1x, 2x, 3x etc. the value of the LOOP JACKPOT

COLLECTING THE FOUR EDDIE CARDS

1.  POWER FEATURES (collect Cyborg Eddie Card)

• Power Pyramid – Power up the Pyramid by shooting:
• Spinners
• Pops
• Ramps
• Targets
• Orbits
• Tip: Track progress of power-ups on left of display, the segment will light solid when collected
• Collecting all POWER PYRAMID segments lights Cyborg Eddie Multiball at the Underground

Start Cyborg Eddie Multiball to collect Cyborg Eddie Card and progress towards Number of the Beast Wizard Mode

• Shoot each of the lit Pyramid segments to light Super Jackpot, shoot the Orb to collect

2.  MUMMY MULTIBALL (collect Mummy Eddie Card)

• Shoot Sarcophagus Captive Ball to spell M-U-M-M-Y
• Shoot Pharaoh Bullseye Target to open Pharaoh’s Tomb to LOCK BALL
• Spell M-U-M-M-Y again to start MUMMY MULTIBALL
• During Mummy Multiball:
• Collect switch hits to light Sarcophagus to collect next Mummy Letter and Jackpot
• Collect 5 Mummy Jackpots (Spell M-U-M-M-Y) to light Super Jackpot at Pharaoh’s Bullseye Target, shoot to collect

Score Mummy Super Jackpot to collect Mummy Eddie Card and progress towards Number of the Beast Wizard Mode

3.  TROOPER MULTIBALL (collect Trooper Eddie Card)

• Drop Targets light Trooper Lock on Orbits
• Lock three balls to begin TROOPER MULTIBALL
• During Trooper Multiball:
• Shooting a lit arrow scores a Jackpot, collect three Jackpots to light Super Jackpot Target, shoot to collect

Score Trooper Super Jackpot to collect Trooper Eddie Card and progress towards Number of the Beast Wizard Mode

4.  BATTLE MODES (collect Soldier Eddie Card)

• Shoot white arrows to spell E-D-D-I-E, then shoot the Underworld to begin Battle Modes
• Five Battle Modes:
• Fear the Dark
• Aces High
• Hallowed Be Thy Name
• Flight of Icarus
• Rime of the Ancient Mariner
• Start all 5 Eddie Battle Modes to light 2 Minutes to Midnight Wizard Mode at Bullseye Target (Underworld Scoop on the Premium/LE)

Start 2 Minutes to Midnight Wizard Mode to collect Soldier Eddie Card and progress towards Number of the Beast Wizard Mode

Now you’ve collected all the Eddie Cards which lights Number of the Beast Wizard Mode!

Note – this wizard mode sounds very cool and we don’t want to include any spoilers here.  If you want to read about it, go to the last page of this PDF and check it out!

MORE DETAILS ON THE MODES

• Five Battle Modes:
• Fear the Dark
• “Four shots are lit with purple arrows. Completing any of them lights the Spinners for a ton of points (the REVIVE spinner scores 2x the value.) The more difficult the shot is, the more points the Spinners score (need more info on specific point values.) Shooting the right ramp also increases the value of the Spinners when they are lit. The mode is completed after 3 times the lit Spinners are shot.”  – TiltForums
• Aces High
• “2 ball multi-ball.  For the first stage, you must destroy 4 fighters. Shoot blue arrow shots to defeat a fighter.  For the second stage, you must defeat 2 bombers. Shoot a ramp to lock on, then shoot the center bulls-eye shot to destroy a fighter.  For the third stage, you must defeat the ace. Shoot the strobing shot to lock on, then shoot the center Sarcophagus shot within 5 seconds to destroy the ace.  Increased scoring from shooting the center of the bulls-eye target instead of the outsides.” – TiltForums
• Hallowed Be Thy Name
• “Complete four objectives in order as quickly as possible.
• Shoot two orange arrows
• Complete all of the drop targets
• Shoot an orange arrow
• Shoot the center ramp
• Score based on how much time is remaining in the mode.” – TiltForums
• Flight of Icarus
• “Shoot alternating ramps. Combo ramps for multiplied scoring.”
• Rime of the Ancient Mariner
• “Center shot is lit for a hurry-up counting down from 1,000,000. Shoot center shot to lock in this value and start a 2-ball multiball. Shoot the lit shots to complete. Certain shots on the playfield are lit to move the ship (on the display) left or right. If any of the arrows on the display are facing north, the center shot will light for a Jackpot (which scores more points the more arrows you have facing north). If you don’t make a shot for some time, the Jackpot will unlight and you will have to shoot more shots to relight it.” – TiltForums
• Complete all 5 Eddie Battle Modes to light 2 Minutes to Midnight Wizard Mode at Bullseye Target (Underworld Scoop on the Premium/LE)

OTHER STUFF

• Doing well in a Battle Mode will Soul Shard Hurry Up – shoot Bullseye to collect
• Clairvoyant’s Mystery Orb
• Shoot drop targets to light Mystery Orb, collecting multiple “Light Orbs” from drop targets will boost Mystery Level
• Combos and Deathblows
• You can do 2 to 6 way combos
• No timer, but hit any other switch or repeat a shot will cancel the combo
• Shoot the Skill Shot Target, the Orb, the Bullseye, or the Sarcophagus to strike a “Deathblow” and finish or “cash-in” the combo for points
• Pharoah’s Tomb Treasure
• Light the Tomb Treasure by completing tasks during the game (example: beating a mode)
• There are 8 Treasures to be unearthed – shoot TOMB (right orbit on Pro, left ramp on Premium/LE) to collect

ULTIMATE WIZARD MODE

• There are two levels to each Eddie Card you can collect.  Collecting the first level gets you to the Number of the Beast Wizard mode.  Collecting the SECOND LEVEL of each Eddie Card gets you to … ???????

FIVE LIKES

1. The Rules

The structure of the rules is very well done, and it feels like there is something for everyone.  There are a lot of different options on what to play for on this game without being overly complex.  Go for modes, or go for Power features, or go for multiballs, etc.  For the beginners, a multiball isn’t too difficult to start.  For those that like a mode based game and progressing through the game, the rules are pretty straight forward and easy enough to understand.  For competitive players, there are many creative multipliers and lucrative scoring opportunities.  I think my favorite multiplier is the upper left flipper – if you hit the loop with the flipper held up you get 1x the value, but – as a more difficult shot – leave it remaining down is multiplied 2x.

People are raving about the layout of this game.  To me, the rules are even more impressive than the layout, both for the casual player and the competitive player – as just mentioned, it feels like there is something for everyone.

2. Unique Layout

Sometimes Stern layouts can remind you of previous layouts (see: Guardians of the Galaxy and Metallica).  This is a fresh new layout, never seen before (well except Archer) and it doesn’t look like any other game.  The shots are not totally foreign, but they are compiled in a new take that looks satisfying to shoot.  There is even a dedicated alley pass shot target!  It is the Gravestone Target or the Shatz Target, and it spots a shot that you need at whatever point you are in the game.

No idea what “Shatzing the inlane” means?  It was named after pinball player Neil Shatz.  Here is an example of what “shatzing the inlanes” is.  And here is how it works on Iron Maiden!

3. The Artwork

Tons of detail, and overall a great looking machine.  Factor in working with a licensor that has a specific art style, and Zombie Yeti pulled this off well.

Except need to add some more Eddies.  Just kidding, there are plenty of Eddies already!  Mom’s spaghetti.

4. The Music

Whether you like Iron Maiden or you don’t (raises hand), they’re upbeat music fits a pinball machine well.

5. Stern Effort

There has been frustration in the past with the status of code when Stern releases a pinball machine.  This machine is released with 0.92 code and is expected to reach 1.0 code very soon.  They also added the service rails back in instead of the pegs.  It has two spinners, which as of recently have not been included on Pro models.  And what is the last Stern Pro with four flippers?

FIVE DISLIKES

1. No Toys

It sounds like we’ll have some more features with the Premium version, but there aren’t really any toys on the Pro version.

2. Animations

There are a few cool animations on the display, but overall the animations feel somewhat…uninspired.  This may be more due to licensor pickiness than anything else.

3. Typography on Display

While the information on the display is shown in an effective way, with the your scores at the bottom, the Power feature progress on the left and other current information on the right, the font looks like it should be better integrated into the theme.  Feels like it should be in a more striking typography to fit the theme.

4. Ramp Shot through the Pops

Some people love this shot, some don’t.  So far we’ve been hearing this shot is easier than it looks, which is a good thing.  At a person of my skill level though, hopefully it won’t be brick city trying to go for the left ramp.

5. The Theme

For some this is a dream theme.  For me, I wish a different theme got this unique layout, artwork, and ruleset.  Obviously since Stern sold out of the Limited Editions before anyone had seen them, there are enough people that like this theme to make it a success.  How many of those sales are based on the layout and features and rules as opposed to the theme itself?  Hard to say.  Am I just bitter?  Yes, probably, and a little jealous of people that love this theme.  I want to love it!

Disclaimer: All opinions are subject to change because I’m fickle with pinball machines the more I play them 🙂